Friday, September 9, 2016

Rick Weiland's Guest Piece Supporting SD's Initiated Measure 22.

Note: I've opposed IM 22 here and will speak against it at a forum in Rapid City on September 15. Rick summarizes the pro-22 position for us in this guest editorial he just provided to me:

Weiland

This November, South Dakota has an opportunity to lead the
nation by passing three ballots measures that will dramatically reform our
politics and send a message to Washington and the rest of the country.

In 1898, South Dakota became the first state in the Union to
allow the voters to petition their government by using ballot measures to shape
public policy. Now, 24 states have some
form of an initiated measure process where the citizens can legislate when they
feel their elected officials will not.

After years of inaction, both in Washington and in Pierre, the
people of South Dakota overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to raise the
minimum wage $1.25, from $7.25 to $8.50, with a cost of living allowance – end-running
a state legislature too beholden to special interests and their lobbyists. Contrary to the propaganda at the time, the
sky didn’t fall, unemployment didn’t escalate and businesses didn’t close their
doors. Unemployment in South Dakota
remains among the lowest in the nation.

When our state consistently ranks in the top five of states
most at risk of corruption; when scandals like EB-5 and Gear-Up destroy confidence
in our elected leaders and government by squandering hundreds of millions of
dollars; when sweetheart government contracts, suicides, murders, lawsuits and
felony charges dominate our daily news and coffee talk, then it is time for
reform.

Recently, in a New York Times article entitled, “Can the
States Save Democracy?” South Dakota was singled out as the “hotbed of political
reform” citing three ballot measure efforts on “gerrymander reform, clean money
and a proposed nonpartisan primary.”
Like 1898, South Dakota in 2016 can show the rest of the nation the way forward
by passing a “trifecta of reform” and starting a political reform movement to
take our country back from the ‘big money” special interests and the hyper-partisanship
that is destroying it.

Amendment T establishes an independent redistricting
commission where the legislative districts will be drawn by honest brokers, not
partisan politicians. The voters should
get to choose their office holders, not the other way around. The gerrymandering that has occurred as a
result of partisan politics has contributed to the government dysfunction and
gridlock we are experiencing today – and it is threatening our democracy.

Amendment V establishes nonpartisan elections for all
offices, with the exception of President, where the voters get to vote for the
person, not the party. Just like we do
for mayor, city council and school board elections, the election becomes more
of a contest of ideas then a meaningless debate of political party propaganda. Registered Independents make up 40% of the
registered voters in the country, more then either the Democrats or
Republicans, and yet they can’t vote in most primary elections. We have 113,000 registered Independents, 21%
of the registered voters who can’t fully participate in the South Dakota June
Primary. No one should have to pledge
allegiance to a political party to exercise their right to vote – period!

Initiated Measure 22 fights government corruption, restores
accountability and reforms campaign finance laws; it shines a bright light on
the special interests and their lobbyists; it establishes an ethics commission
with subpoena powers and authority to investigate, and it creates a voluntary
incentive for voters to contribute up to $100 of their own tax dollars to
qualifying candidates. That amounts to about
.1% of the annual state budget. Let’s be
honest – there are no checks and balances in our state government. One party rule has lead to government
corruption, lost taxpayer money, tragedy and a loss of confidence.

Don’t let the special interests win another election by
convincing you the sky is falling and the end of the world is at hand. It is time to join a growing coalition of
Republicans, Democrats and Independents dedicated to reforming our politics and
taking our country back! The November election presents a real opportunity to
tell Pierre, Washington and the rest of the country that we have had enough of
partisan gridlock and special interest government. Vote yes on T – V – 22!

Rick Weiland

Sioux Falls,
SD

Rick Weiland is a
small business owner, former United States Senate candidate and co-founder of
TakeItBack.Org, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on reforming our political
system.

Democracy In Action is sponsoring a forum to be held at the Journey Museum on Thursday evening September 15. Not sure of the starting time--the folks at the Journey will know. Here's my piece stating my case against IM 22 that was published in the Rapid City Journal last June. You'll have to c & p the url as there's no linkage from the comment section: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/columnists/local/tsitrian-ballot-measure-far-too-broad/article_1b772603-6971-55d3-80fa-e0061eae80b5.html

About Me

I'm a businessman and writer living in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I've written articles and commentary for 25+ years. I was a member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and the founder of a futures brokerage firm for a total of twenty years and I own commercial real estate in western South Dakota. I served three years ('66-'69) in the U.S. Marine Corps, including a 13-month tour of duty in Vietnam as a radioman. My wife and I have two grown daughters. We make our home in Rapid City, South Dakota